Castrating a 3 year old dog

[lhotse]

Hi, I have a rather lovely/large collie dog. He is a typical collie, very intelligent, loyal, and rather obsessive!!!
He is also rather aggressive to other dogs on the lead. I do not think that it is real aggression, as he soon shuts up and will sit close to the other dogs whilst I have a chat to the owner. He is worse if the other dog doesn't stop. I think it's really a matter of 'getting in first' as he is really a wimp. If the other dog is loose, he barks then hides between my legs!! He also doesn't raise his hackels.
He sounds like he wants to kill the other dog though, and he is a large cattle collie (27kg). If he is off the lead, he rarely creats a fuss, just walks on by. Trouble is, one of his obsessions is cars so he has to be on a lead anywhere near a road.
He was properly socialised as a puppy, and I think the behaviour stems from an incident when a lab had a go at him whilst on the lead.
I'm worried that one day he's going to have a go at the wrong dog and get well and truly beaten up.

So my question is would you get him castrated, and is it going to make a difference at his age. I just think it might chill him out a bit.

 

[popsicle]

My son had his dog castrated at 4 and it calmed him down a bit and stopped him cocking his leg in the house, but it didn't really make any difference to him chasing other dogs and people riding bikes.

 

[lhotse]

Mine likes to chase anything with wheels, although he always sits for trains (guess he can't see the wheels!!)
I don't really want him done as he'll have to have his frilly knickers shaved off!!!

I think he just needs to go to dog training then, but he is soooo embarassing. Luckily, most of the dog owners know him and just laugh, but some give us evils. I have owned a dog in tha past who really hated other dogs and just wanted to fight, Finn doesn't act like him at all. Would love to go for a peaceful walk though!!!

 

[LynneB]

My border collie used to do that when on the lead, but off the lead he was fine. I think he felt threatened that if attacked he had no option but to fight, but in his mind off the lead he was safer.

 

[Booboos]

Being on the lead can make many dogs more aggressive as they feel constrained. I would castrate him (but then again I think anything that you do not intend to breed from should be castrated) as it might still help and then work on the behavioural aspects of the problem. Try distracting him when another dog is approaching by asking him to do something incompatible with barking, e.g. turning his back on the dog to touch your hand with his nose. Make sure you have loads of yummy treats. You can then train him to do this behaviour every time he sees a dog instead of barking.

 

[CAYLA]

Agree with the above, you need to work on a positive distration with something he likes, chicken breast or cheese work good, and it's also an idea to make him sit whist the dog passes, with your positive entiser, this allows u better control and chances his stance, as naturally he would be pulling towards the dog in a dominant stance and u would be grappling with the lead, a good traininglead and check chain or half check may also help u with the handling part, as a bad training impliments can hinder no end, so command him sit and hold your treat in your palm, let him sniff it, but dont allow him to take until the exact moment the dog passes, then simply walk off.

And I would definately have his knackers off

 

[louise1967]

Lots of dogs are aggressive on a lead, I know my last dog was very aggressive on a lead, most dogs are better off to socialize, I would say castration should calm him a bit.

My father in law who is a farmer has just had the 2 farm dogs castrated a father & son because they kept going on walkabouts and obviously living on a farm there are no bounderies to keep them in, they were wandering 5-6 miles sometimes on main roads and always having to be picked up, so we are waiting to see if their castration has altered this, we'll see!!!

 

[lhotse]

Trouble is, he's not really food orientated!!! He is also better if the other dog has stopped and he keeps going. If I make him sit, he goes nuts. He is not too bad in a field, I think he feels less threatened with more space. He is not badly behaved, he will sit on command no matter how far away he is, even if he sees another dog. He is already in a choke chain and has a harness on. I have considered a Halti, but I'm worried that he could injure himself if he really pulled against it.
Once people stop, he's fine and will sit for ages close to the other dog. I don't blame folk who keep on going though, but this doesn't really help him, as he thinks he's won.
I think I just have to be brave and let him go play with all the other dogs and hope that he doesn't fight!!

 

[Booboos]

Some dogs are not that motivated by food, but it might be worth a try with something really good like cheese, few dogs can resist cheese.

Otherwise how about a squeaky toy? Would he be interested in that? If he likes movement then you could always channel his energy into something active than a staying exercise. How about spin? That might keep him occupied and a lot of collies like spinning.

I would try a Halti as it will make it easier for you to move his head away from the other dog. If it's correctly fitted it should not rub. I have not heard of any dogs injuring themselves with one, but of course if you are worried perhaps it's not suitable.

 

[lhotse]

There is only one thing that my dog is really interested in and that is fox shite, damned if I'm carrying that around!! He only does toys at home. He is a bit strange. He is totally fine with the horses though!!

 

[Spudlet]

I've found Haltis/ Gentle Leaders really helpful personally, they help you to turn his head so they can't pull so hard. Our old lab was intensly interested in all other dogs as a youngster (in a playful way) and was strong enough to pull a six foot dog trainer over and pull him along the floor (lol his finest hour - the trainer was an arrogant eejit!) but in a Halti even I could walk him (I was about 12 at the time). Make sure you use a double ended lead so you've still got an attachment to his collar though. And be prepared that he will probably try to take it off a few times - I don't think they like suddenly having to toe the line!

And get his nadgers off - his frilly knickers will grow back!

 

[dingle12]

Ive a collie X lab and he was really bad with dog wanting to get in first to bite them. I hated walking him and had to muzzle him. He had his bits off and i also had to put him in kennels for a week due to a holiday and he came out a different dog

i think because he was near other dogs but could not get to them it really helped him and showed him it was ok. Now when out he can run around with dogs and even on the lead he is fine he just ignores (sp) them.

 

[KJJ]

Hi,

I'm afraid I haven't read others responses so may just be re-iterating!!

I have a large dog - A 65kg Ridgeback.. he is as soft butter - infact is nicknamed Scooby Doo due to his wimpish tendancies - a proper mummies boy!!

He can 'sound' aggressive occasionally when on his lead... like you say he does it 'to get in first' he is hiding behind my legs (I'm only 5ft so he's a big lad to control) yet he doesn't pull even try and get to the other dog... it really is all mouth... albeit it a big scary mouth for other dog owners!!

I would suggest a distraction, food? ball? something that he likes.. does it like chasing games? take his fav toy say 'whats this' etc take his mind away from the cars/other dogs etc

Alternatively a check chain (ask someone to show you how to use it properly/safely if never used one) and check him before he 'gets in there first' and raise when he does not bark etc.

Good Luck!!

 

[guido16]

have you tried jogging with him?

Depending on fitness levels (both of you...lol), if you see another dog coming, start jogging and go round past the other dog. This will focus his energy and attention on staying with his "pack" ie you. Jogging pace is natural for dogs when you consider the pace they generally go at.

If you stop and make him sit, he prob thinks hes a sitting duck, waiting to be attacked. By jogging past you keep the attention on you. Also, make sure he jogs behind you.
As the pack leader, you should always be in front.

He is probably getting your nervous energy straight down the lead from you and as you expect a problem, so does he!!.

And ref castration - 100% get him done!

Good luck

 

[lhotse]

Cheers for all the advice. I will let you know how I get on!!

 

[kibob]

I have a Ridgeback who became very agressive to other dogs (mainly males), both on and off the lead. Naturally he is actually quite a wimpy dog but I think this aggression stemmed from when he was a pup. He was very large and boisterous and I think he worried other dogs and they took the "get in there first" approach.

As a result, socialising him became a problem and he never really got the chance to learn canine boundaries and was unsure how to react around other dogs. He was particularly bad around other dominant males (interestingly, collies were always a particular problem). This issue escalated when my son was born (pushing a pushchair and trying to hold Ki whilst another dog passed was really difficult

, and made my tension worse). I am lucky in that we have our own land, however the flip side to this was that I didn't confront the issue and stayed in the safety of our own fields, where he could run, off lead, to his hearts content.

He was castrated last year, aged 3 and it has made a huge difference. He can still have his moments but, to be honest, any remaining aggression stems now from my nerves. Each time we have a positive experience my confidence grows and I am now starting to trust him more and more. Looking forward to this summer, my son is at nursery and my mission is to get him happily walking off-lead in public - I feel really confident that we will achieve this

, last year I would have said "No Way".

We also got a second dog last year. A collie/lab bitch - she is the type of dog that loves everything and everyone and is wildely exuberant about life - maybe a little of her happy-go-lucky attitude has rubbed off on him and he doesn't take life so seriously anymore

.

Go on - chop 'em off, it certainly can't make the situation any worse, best thing we ever did

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